6 mths!!!

Hurray, my little rascal has crossed ano milestone ... She's officially 6 mths today and i am planning to feed her rice cereal. As i mentioned b4, i am a textbook mother. So when the book said to start her on solids when she's 6 mths, i literally wait till the last day (which is today) to start.. hahahaa...

Actually got mixed response with regards to solids. Some of my frens and even my mum said tt we can mixed cereal into her milk and let her drink it. But my PD is against tt. He said, it shld be separate on a bowl. However to start off, it shld only be one teaspoon only so i have to throw away the remaining? To get her used to it... so how?? Sigh.. decided to take the PD's advice. Tho it is more troublesome since i am breastfeeding, i will try to feed her a bit first. I will pump out during this session and feed her on thawed breastmilk.

Even rice cereal, i am indecisive. My PD gave me a lot of sample pkts for Nestle brand. But he mentioned it is too sweet compared to other brands. I am not too keen to start off too sweet for her leh. But since got so many free samples, very wasteful if i dun feed her tt. Then when i talk to my frens, some of them gave their children organic cereal. Wah, organic leh!!! tat's ex! but then hor, when i hear pp said tt, my Kaisu-ness appear again. Shld i get tt for my princess too? Also, my fren gave me alot of bottles BB food from Heinz. I was initially keen to give her but my sis said y i gave her bottled food when i shld try to give her fresh food (means self-cooked)? So how??

There's so much child-care info these days.. all so mind boggling.... dun know whose advice to take... Sigh... i am still learning..

Time flies

It's tt time of year again when one realize that another year has come and gone. I still remember wat happen at this time last year. I jus knew that i was pregnant and was spotting. As such i actually take a long break and stay at home to rest...

Now, i've popped and baby is almost 6 mths now... it's really amazing how time flies.

Looking back, so many changes has happened this yr. Me giving birth, my frens leaving for greener pastures overseas, me getting a maid and coping with the bb....

So wat's my greatest achievement this yr and wat i look forward to next yr??? I would say to give birth to my little rascal is my greatest achievement!!! So wat i am looking forward next yr then?? Mm....

Prob a new job.... i've not written on this blog but my company has been bought over by SAP. And uncertainty is looming in my company especially for my dept in Finance. No details yet but no one know for certain what's going to be the changes like next yr. Sigh... as reluctant as i am, it's time for me to look for a job again... due to my job-hopping history (max 2 years per job), i vow to stay in my current for more than 2 yrs.. but due to this unforeseen circumstances, i am forced to look ard again....so....hope things will look up for me...

Btw, here's a more recent pix of my rascal

Time

Some of my frens have been complaining that i havent been updating the blog. Looking at my last blog, yes, it has been more than a mth since i last update. As mentioned in my previous entries, a day in my office is very packed. Partly due to the fact tt i tried to leave on the dot (though not always happen), so updating of this blog has taken a back seat...

For those who has been wondering wat's going on with my gal, truth is, nothing much has changed except this mummy is getting lazier. Previously, i used to wake up whenever she does and start playing with her as early as 630++ on weekends. But now, when she wakes up tt early, i will pass her to the maid to b entertained while this mummy continue to sleep on. SIgh, wat to do, mummy doesnt have enuf sleep since she's been waiting up very frequently at nite. Yes, she is still.... Some pp have asked me why i dun ask the maid to take care of her at nite. I really cant let go. I think it's a personal choice that we have children. So, it's our duty to take care of them no matter how demanding she can be.

Nevertheless, i am happy to announce that some of my close frens are pregnant!!!! Also, at least 2 more are planning to try for babies next yr. Goodie.. soon we can have a mini children gathering where the kids will play with each other while the mummies carry on.. :)

Speaking of which, Athena is almost 6 mths now. So i have reached a crucial pt where i need to make a decision, shld i continue to breastfeed? Some pts to consider, if she drinks formula, mayb she will sleep longer at nite (keeping my fingers crossed that it will be so), since there is no need to pump milk in office, i can start wearing heels and nicer clothes (currently, more office wear is limited to clothes that will ease my pumping session in office) and nice Coach bags instead of big bulky bags to contain my breast pumps and portable fridge. But, if i continue, i can loss wt while if i stopped, it's likely i will gain weight. As i havent reach my pre-pregnancy weight, i am reluctant to give up this fuss-free method of losing my kilos...Aiya, so many consideration... i have to give it more thots....

The day i let my gal fell.....

Last sat was a sad day for me...

It was supposed to be a happy day when we intend to bring our little piglet to a wedding lunch. We even tot of waht to dress her in. Hubby has to go earlier to help out and the plan was for me to call a call and bring her.

She was sleeping soundly on the sofa... yes, i know, it was a mistake to place her on the sofa when she now learns how to turn but frankly, at that pt in time, i was feeling rather complacent.. :(

I was reading papers beside her (when i shld sit on the floor to block the sofa) expecting her to cry when she wakes up (which she usually will). Before i knew it, i heard a "pop" and shocked to see her lying flat on the floor!!!! My heart stopped for a moment as she wailed out loud ....i really panic especially since hubby not around.

After pacifying her, i rushed to see a PD in Hougang mall. PD said, she has no visible injuries just have to monitor her for 48 hours to ensure that she dun vomit or keep sleeping. I felt really, really guilty cos' i shldnt have let her fall!!!

So far, there are no symptoms that she's hurt from the fall... but i am going to be more vigilant and no more taking chances.

Btw, we still brought her to the wedding lunch which i think she really enjoyed herself ;)

Updates

Sorry for the dry spell. Been trying to cope with work and pumping of milk plus looking after my little rascal!

She's 4 mths now. Still a handful especially during the nite when she's abt to sleep. She gets really cranky and cannot be pacify easily. Luckily got her daddy to slowly rocked her to sleep. Yes, she's spoilt rotten!!! And she twists us ard her little fingers..

Anyway, brought her for her monthly jab and measured her. Gus wat, she's a hefty 6.7 kg which is the 75% percentile while her length is below average... oh now, she's going to be short and fat! Hahahaa... jus noticed that she has shorter legs compared to her body. Oops... tt's mummy's figure for you... worried tt she got mummy's thunder thighs and big butt! Now helping her stretch everyday. Hopefully can grow taller. :P

Tomorrow is PH and i took leave on fri (trying to clear my leave). Actually dread this long weekend cos' it means taking care of her for straight 4 days!!! To me, i choose work over taking care of her anything. Oops.. did i really say tt?? Bad mummy!! Hahahaaa.... ok lah, need to be more patient with her...

Here's latest update of her pictures....Pls dun ask me why i shaved off her head to make her botak... i didnt! She doesnt have much hair to start with..

Athena's Laughter!

Giggling gal....

Now Athena is getting more responsive. She tends to coo and boo when u talk to her. She's pretty talkative!!!

And once a while, she will reward u with her toothily smile and giggles. TT will never fails to bring a smile to my face. Yes, finally, i think my gal is adorable!! hahaaha... to be frank, minus the nite feeds and crying episodes, she's pretty fun to play now. I guess u cant have the best of both worlds...

Last weekend, as it was Public holiday on Sat, we drove to hubby's aunt's place for lunch b4 he left to do some of his own things while i sat behind at his aunt's plc with bb. Initially was still alright as she coos and "talk" to aunt. But when she's feeling tired, tts when hell break loose. Hubby's aunt cant help carrying her cos' bb wants it in a certain way and his aunt is not used to tt position. I had to carry and pacify her for more than 45 min.. my arms nearly broke.

Anyway, we went shopping at Campass Pt after tt. Finally, i managed to use up my G2000 birthday vouchers. Though it is still very rush as we need to entertain Athena while trying clothes at the same time. She's spoilt cos' hubby always carry her when she cried in the stroller. According to my frens, we need to let her cry so tt she can get used to the stroller. I've been telling hubby tt but he very heart-pain when he sees her cry. There goes my effort to "train" her

On Sun, we went to hubby's sister's place together with my parents-in-law. It has been a while since we met up so it's good. Told hubby tt we need to let Athena get used to them so tt we can deposit Athena to my parents in laws next time and spend some quality time together... hahahaaa.... Luckily, with the distractions of her other 2 cousins and aunties, Athena was happily been carried around. And her daddy was proud of her when she smiles and coos at the family.... **Big Grin**

Still, busy weekend and prob more to come :)

Here's one of her more recent pictures....

Work....

Despite my promise to myself tt i will update this blog more frequently, looks like work commitment is piling and it doesnt help tt i need to leave on the dot so that i can rush home to bb...

Last Mon was a start of a fuzzy of activities. My company may be acquired by SAP!!! Wat it means is tt, i may loss my job! Surprisingly, i took it quite well. Not sure how long it will be b4 the real integration between the 2 companies start but jus tt i have to keep an eye on the open mkt outside. Sigh... better update my resume soon and send out to headhunters.. :(

Beside this, life is still hectic with my pumping in office and trying to train Athena to sleep through or at least longer in the nites. The latter has failed miserably :( She still wakes up at least 2 times and sometimes, it's difficult to put her back to sleep.

Last Fri, she overslept and end up both hubby and me also overslept cos she's now are mobile alarm clock. It doesnt help tt i have an early morn conf call tt day.wat a rush!!! The joke was tt she poos when i was feeding her b4 i rush out and b4 i leave the door, my maid noticed tt i had some poo stain on my pants and i had to grab any other pants to change b4 running out of the house. Tough being a working mum....

Stressed!!!

It's been a long while since i write this blog. But i have been really busy. B4 i go into that, let me talk abt the massage lesson that we had last sat.

Did i mention in my blog that we paid good $$ to learn massage from TMC, hopefully can pacify my gal when she's cranky? To be frank, till now, still not very successful.. hahaaaa.. anyway, i digress. The second lesson was supposed to be 29 Sept. But i received a call last thurs asking me whether i am interested to have the class in AMK hub last sat. After discussing with hubby, we tot that will b good since it's much nearer to our place.

I didnt know that, tat 2 days happen to be the opening bash in AMK hub. TMC's Parentcraft opened a shopfront in AMK hub. So knowing that as part of the celebration, the MPs will be coming, TMC is keen to showoff their baby's massage class. Our babies become exhibits!! Surprisingly, Athena was very well-behaved that day. This mummy is so proud. After the lesson, she fell asleep. Prob too shiok after the massage.

After lesson, i went up to my teacher who happened to be also my prenatal teacher and enquired abt Athena's drinking habits. Based on her recommendation in her books, bbs at 3 mths are supposed to be drinking abt 150ml - 180ml. But my precious is only taking 90ml. When i told her tt, she outright tell me this is not right. I have to bring her back (of cos must pay lah) and let her train bb to drink more. She say or else, baby's stomach will shrink!!! This really scared me. After discussing with Fabian, we decided not to cos we felt tt Athena is growing fine. She poos quite frequently and seems to be gaining some healthy weight. So she must be absorbing the nutrients. Anyway, when i met my frens recently and told them abt this, a gal offered her opinion. She said Ms Wong is not wrong. Baby's stomach need to expand so that they are able to take in more food during the day and are able to sleep thru the nite. Bbs like Athena will require frequent small meals which will tire out we, the parents. Sounds logical. No wonder she can sometime wake up every 2 hours in the nite and wants to drink. Wah, almost killed me then. Nevertheless, hubby and i decided to monitor her and see whether there's a need. Mayb next time she will thank me for this so tt she can maintain her slim figure. haahahaaa.....

Some pp may wonder wat i am doing at 1015pm at nite. Well, work has been really busy. i got a conf call at 11pm with US and Europe. Thus the bad timing. Have been really stressed this week. I was pulled to help in a consulting proj again. And this time, the VP came to me personally and asked me to help. I cant say no rite? Anyway, i sort of agree to help till 5th OCt with the help of a partner. But to my dismay, the partner has some prob with his work permit and he cant come till next week. Mon, i hope.

So now, i have to balance my finance job plus tis consulting work. It doesnt help tt i have to make time to pump milk and sterilized the pump twice a day in office and still trying to leave on the dot or early so that can be back home to see Athena. U can imagine how my time flies in office... :( dun even have time to take bio-breaks or drink water. :(

I know... jus endure, one more week and things will be better. I hope..... pray for me... :(

Back to work Officially

Phew, it has been a busy week last week. I went back to work.. Hurray, hurray!!! Hahaha.. i am prob one of the weirdos tt loves to go back to work.

Beside the hussle of bring my pumping stuff and laptop to office, i really looked forward to working. I guess i wasnt as maternal as i thot i would be. And to me, it's really a good break from the crying and changing of diapers.

My birthday happened to be the week b4 i went back to work. Alot of well-wishes that day and many asked me how i was going to celebrate my birthday. To be frank, i am glad just to be out of the house without Athena. Mean rite? Anyway, we decided to drop Athena off at my mum place and hubby and i have a quiet dinner that nite. Even so, we chose to go Compass Pt when we can go kiddy palace and buy those VA storage cups for the breastmilk and diapers. So it's all abt her too...

Not sure whether others have my problem but i have difficulty finding good S-sized diapers for her. We quite like Fitti comfy but NTUC dun sell them in S-sized. And we've been looking around but except JL and Kiddy Palace, we really cant get them anywhere. My frens recommend Nepia. But they dun come in S-sized too in NTUC stock. We are still searching for the best value-for-$ brand :( I am sure most mothers have faced this b4, the baby tends to poo after you jus changed them into new diapers. Cos' of that, our usage is very high. Really, having a kid in singapore is not cheap :(

When i went back to work last week, i was really excited. Cant wait to be back in action. First day was just catching up with wat's happening and wat i intend to be working on for the next q. I was also busy catching up with other colleagues of mine and sharing babies' stories.

Last Fri was my mum's birthday. She has always asked for ang bao instead of presents. After thinking for a while, i thot the next best thing tt i can give her in addition to $$ is time. Time for her to go out and "kai-kai" or play mahjong. So i bravely took leave that day and asked both my sisters to drop their kids to my place. I declare off for my mum tt day :P Boy, do i regret it. When Athena threw a big fuss tt early morning, i was so tempted to pack everything and walked to my mum's place. But i "ren"!! Guess, i need to learn how to pacify her when she's in one of her moods. My elder sister came to pick up her 2 gals in the afternoon while my younger sis will come by after tt. So effectively, i need not be running after them.

K, time to work now... will try to write more.. :)

Going back to work....

Apologized for not updating this blog as frequently as i would like. But my days are occupied with my little tyrant :(

Went back to office for meeting last week for 2 days. I treated it as a trial-run b4 i officially go back to work the coming week. Boy was it fast.. 10 weeks are going to pass just like tt...

First and foremost, i need to go shopping and beautified myself again. As most mothers would know, you will not be able to fit into ut pre-pregnancy clothes. It's really depressing. Went shopping and got even more depressed when i cant fit into a L-sized pants. FYI, i used to be a M.... :( this is really depressing. Need to buy some new blouses too cos' now i got bigger boobs... :P Then i went to do rebonding. Finally!!! After more than one yr of enduring bad hair days, i went to do it

Next, i need to worry abt the logistics of pumping milk in the office. I had a headache trying to think how to bring the pump, the ice-bag (fyi, we bought the 'Fridge-on-the-go' so that hubby can use it for his drinks after my bf session is over), the sterilizing stuff and my laptop on my first day back. There are so many things and so heavy. No choice but hubby has to drive me back to work and i had to take a cab back the next day cos need to bring back the laptop.

One thing i need to mention here is tt hubby has been really supportive, the nite b4 i start work, he brought Athena to sleep in the other room so tt she wont disturb me and only brought her to me when she woke up for her milk. I was so touched!!! I didnt know abt it till i woke up and surprised to see both of them not in the room. To be frank, he's a much better care-taker than i am. I cant appease her when she's in one of her crying fits due to her colic. Hubby usually can calm her down.. Good grief :P

Anyway, pumping milk in my office is a challenge as there's no nursing room and all meeting rooms have frosted glass doors or panels. :( After much deliberation and suggestions from colleagues, they advised me to use the HR room and hide behind the door. The HR lady was very nice to be agreeable. However, she has to move out of the room once her boss is here in Nov. Then i will need to find ano room :( The 2 days were a challenge. Nevertheless, i was thinking of starting my work with 3-day week first so as to clear up my remaining 9 days of maternity leave. Need to discuss with hubby abt it. Partly so tt i can get used to working life after such a long break :(

Will think abt it......

Updates...

Well, there's nothing much to updates except complaints and complaints.... things are usual with her crankiness during early mornings and late evenings. Talk to a few frens and according to them, most babies have a fussy period and apparently my gal has 2.....

To date, i have successful breastfed her for 7th weeks..... hurray, hurray!!! Told most of my frens i plan to bf for 6 months. But alot of pp warned me tt my milk supply will drastically drop when i go back to work so i am trying hard to store as much milk as possible. But it's really difficult to schedule a pumping session when i have to do 2-hourly feed.

My gal very "gu-niang".. she wants frequent small meals so every time after feeding on one breast, she will be full and refuse my the other breast. Then she will demand feed 2 hour later. I feel literally like a cow..... moo moo....nites are worse cos' after the usual 2-hour feed, we will also need to change her since breastmilk is more easily digested and she always poo... when we changed her, her eyes will open big-big and we will need another 0.5 - 1 hour to make her sleep again. B4 we know it, it will be time for her feed again. So it's a challenge every nite :(

Sigh... our life has really changed. My sleeping hours are in-tune with her cos' i need to rest as much as possible when she sleeps. So i've been sleeping from 10pm.. missing all my fav drama serials like CSI, desperate housewives and GhostWhispers. Fabian and i also have to take turn to eat our dinner so that one of us is "entertaining" her.... told fabian, we are slaves to our little tyrant here... :(

btw, went for my post-natal checkup today. Finally got the courage to weigh myself... got 7kg more to loss.. trying to convince myself tt i will have extra 2kg on my boobs.. so i shld only aim to loss 5kg... hahahaaa... this is called self-denial!!

Got to go... will try to update this more often... :P

Something from the Daddy...

Hi Everyone,

Mummy is rather tied up with the baby these days so Daddy has to help out here. :) I have uploaded our little daughter's photos HERE. So enjoy!

From the proud daddy!

Adjusting to Motherhood

Have not been updating the blog as often as i would like. Many of u would have guessed, i simply dun have the time. Taking care of Athena basically took up 24/7 of my time. But now slowly adjusting to her habit and temper.

Nevertheless, i have crossed one hurdle. Her full-mth happened last weekend. Her lunar date is on Sat. So after discussion with my mom, we decided to bring her temple-visiting on sat. As i have quite a bit of bleeding at my initial stage of pregnancy, my mum has prayed for me and bb during that period of time. So we brought Athena to these temples to say our thanks :) Yup, still a cheena, traditionalist at heart :P

On sun (which is her English date of full mth), we had the usual buffet lunch for relatives and i had a small mini gathering for some of my close frens. As Fabian's relatives are always very supportive of such events, the turnout was huge! But it's good that there are so many pp cos' everyone wants to carry the bb, they relieved me of this chore for the whole day... hahaa... i only served one purpose, being the cow every 2 hours. Cos' of the huge crowd, she has problem taking her usual naps and was really cranky and demand the "pacifier" every other time. :(

Anyway, after cropping at hm for one whole mth with only the baby, i was really glad to have some good company. Even managed to gossip with my close colleague abt the proposal she got from her bf and with her showing off the HUGE ring . Yes, she finally got wat she wanted. She've been waiting this day for so long.... i cant wait for her to fix a date and so i can start dieting to look good for her BIG day.

For those who are interested, i had the Indo massage, similar to Malay massage but supposedly better. Not cheap, 6 sessions for $450... but cos' i had c-sec, supposedly have alot of "wind" so she recommended 10 sessions..... it cost a whopping $750.... need to claim this from hubby... he promised. heeheee.... not too bad. stomach smaller but i still have 7 kg to go.... need to work harder but i cant simply find time to do crunches. Now i understand when my elder sisters always tell me they dun have time to tone their flabby tummy..... My retribution....

430am daily special

Sigh, taking care of babies really not easy.


It must b my retribution. i have a easy pregnancy and a surprisingly relatively easy c-sec so when it comes to taking care of baby, i am really at her mercy. Though i have my mum and maid to help out, but i am quite hands-on. My mum will come by in the morn to bathe the baby and cook for me. After which, she will go back to take care of my niece and i will be left alone with the baby and the maid. As i am quite particular, i didnt let the maid help with the baby yet. i handle everything myself from feeding, making her sleep as well as changing diapers. Life is hard. :P

At nite it's worse... she literally treat me like a pacifier. She wakes up every other hour demand to be fed. Suckle for a few minutes, she will fall asleep not feeling full. After a few moments, she will "eh-eh" again and demand to be put on my breasts. I feel so much like a cow... Moo....inbetween all these feeds, we still need to change diapers for her. Poor hubby, i am sure he must be quite tire out especially he still needs to work the next day. The last feed at 430am is the worst. After feeds, her eyes will be wide-opened staring at us... demand to be carried and rocked... :( i've been waking up so early... boo-hoo.....worse than working man.....

Told my mum i am only going to have one kid.. dun think i can make it another round. Dun think i have so much patience... :( Sigh....

PS: gave my gal a nickname; "Xiao-Huang"... cos' of the jaundice, she looks quite yellow... heehee...

Challenges everyday

Life as a new mother is really not easy.

Not sure whether it's the fact tt Athena was only abt 37 ++ weeks when she decided to arrive upon the world. She has very severe jaundice. During my hospital stay, only had one day of UV treatment and her reading went down to 9.3 so we were allowed to brought her home. But 3 days later during a follow-up review, her reading went up to as high as 15.9... doc advised us to put her back to the UV treatment. Not sure whether it's hormones or maternal instinct but i cried buckets when i heard tt. As i'm keen to breastfeed, i decided to stay with her. Due to cost reason, we opt for a 4-bedded. Tat day was extremely stressful. As Athena will be only wearing diapers and put on a cover/eye block to protect her eyes. She keeps crying as she felt extremely uncomfortable .. when she cried, mummy here cried too... :( that was a tiring period... in the end, after discussion with hubby, we decided tt i will discharge and let baby stayed on so tt we wont disrupted the treatment with my breastfeeding. I took a painful decision to let the nurse feed her formula cos i didnt pump enuf milk for her. After i was discharged, i went on to pump some milk and ask hubby to bring to TMC...luckily she was able to go back after 2 days' of treatment.

Sigh... after this saga, i've been trying hard to breastfeed her. Not easy, mayb she didnt latch properly cos now one of my nipples is very sore. The other one is flat .. so she dun want it. During the day, she slept so much tt i have to try very hard to wake her up for her feeding. Each attempt is a challenge. Then today, baby has nappy rash. After much tot, i blame on hubby cos i started using the cheapo Fairprice wet wipes tt he bought recently today. Hopefully it goes away soon...

Seems tt i have new problems everyday... feeling really stressed. I dun think i will ever stop worrying abt her. As wat my sister will tell me, "welcome to motherhood".....

The day my waterbag broke.....2906

So much for my planning...

On 2906 (thurs nite), i felt Athena has been unusually active. was talking to hubby and mentioned that mayb she was trying to turn... hahaa....

I was already in bed... then felt weird and thot i need to pee.. Who knows, the minute i left the bed (luckily), water started gushing out from "down under"... i screamed for fabian who was having a conf call in study room and start going thru my mind a list of things i need to do. He came running and we called the emergency line for my gynae. Luckily, he was still in hospital. With a towel in-between my legs (u can imagine the awkward position), we made our way to TMC. Along the way, i felt some contractions but not strong. As i was hanging on in the car, i keep telling hubby that i am not ready yet... hahaa...

When we were there, i was attended to immediately as my gynae has given the nurses instructions. Moreover, if my baby still in breech position, the c-sec will have to b performed immediately. Everything become a blurry as hubby left me to prepare for admission paperwork and the nurses prep me for the birth.

My gynae came and check on me and baby. Yes, she's still breech so we have to perform c-sec immediately. I have earlier indicate that i will opt for epidural so that hubby can be with me and we will see baby once she's out.

Hubby left to wash and dressed up for the surgery while i was pushed to the operating theatre. I was introduced to the aesthetician and i prepared to endure my epidural shot. Heard from pp tt it's very, very painful. Surprisingly... for me, it wasnt.....At that moment, i felt scared as hubby was not with me. I was all alone and i started praying....when hubby came in, i felt much better and i held his hands tightly. By then the epidural has taken effect and i no longer able to feel anything on my lower half of my body and the operation began...

To be frank, the operation took only 15 min... my baby was out at 0132am.... but the cleaning up and stitching took longer. Hubby was told to leave with baby while my gynae stitched me up. Wat an experience!!

Here's some baby's pictures.....

Updates....

Came to office for my 730am conf call this morn... decided to do so in office cos' got another one at 830am... to be frank, really love to come in early in the morning for work.. the surroundings are so peaceful and quiet and you can get much work done. Surprisingly i am not the earliest :)

Wanted to update some of the things i've done on Sunday....

As usual, Elken came by our place early in the morning abt 9++... he is really smart for a 2-yr old. Not sure whether it's the fact that he has 2 elder sisters or the fact that he is a product of infant-care and childcare since young. But his vocab is amazing and you literally can carry a normal conversation with him. Me so proud of him.... ;)

We went Macdonalds' for brkfst. Well, i am not hot for their food but i am at a stage where i perspire alot! Plus the hot weather, i cannot imagine eating in a stuffy coffeeshop... but boy, were they ex!!!! I really wonder how can 2 person's brkfst in Mac cost $14 in total!!! K, being auntie here but the std of living in singapore really buffled me sometime

After brkfst, as usual, Fabian brought Elken to Compass Pt vie the train. Elken loves it!! And y am i not surprise when elken came back with a small fire engine?!? Really, Fabian spoils tht boy. But i guess you cant resist him with his adorable expression and tactics. To quote an example. he accidentally hit Angelica ( my youngest niece) last nite and made her cry. In his own way, he tried to appease her by kissing her on the lips!!! You can imagine a struggling crying baby trying to get away from a kissing boy... hahhaaaa.....

While Fabian brought Elken out, i went home to pack my hospital bag. Yes, yes, i know, i have been dragging my foot around it. But i guess i am still in denial. Though i would love to see my baby but at the same time, i am really worried that i cant handle her. Told Fabian to take leave when i go home from hospital rather than immediately after my birth. I think i rather have him with me at home when i first brought the baby back.... worry, worry, worry.....he is definitely more confident than me :P

K, time for my call again......here's a cutie picture of elken!

Scheduled c-sec

Went to visit my gynae last sat.... confirmed breech position. head is facing inwards on the top of my uterus while the legs are now at the bottom. Guess it's fate.... but as long as bb is healthy, i guess, it's fine.

Was discussing with my gynae whether i will have all the labour symptoms (like contractions, "show" or water bag burst) before my scheduled date. Hahaa... to my surprise, yes i will have all those... (sau-ku mummy-to-b here). And in my case, it will be more urgent if i have all these labour signs....cos' my baby's head will not act as a "plug" like other normal virginal birth (since it is on the top) so it will be dangerous for me in case the umbilical cord falls out. Eeek!!!!! So i wont be like others who can still "tong" a few hours after the water bag burst before admitting themselves to hospital. In fact, i'll prob have to rush to the hospital immediately. Told my colleagues this morning. Told them i will print out BIG-BIG fabian's number and pasted it in front of me so that they can called him immediately... :P

This sat, i also went to visit my fren's place in serangoon garden. It's a beautiful landed property worth $2 mil...there's a small swimming pool within the place. The whole place is gorgeous with a resort-like feeling. Accordingly to my fren, they dont have to do much renovation. The previous owner has very good taste and they just re-paint the place and polished the floor. It's really a good buy. In case some are wondering, no, they dont come from rich families but they are ordinary folks like me who has made it BIG.... investment bankers really are paid well ;)

After the visit, went to play mahjong at another frens' place. As mentioned previously, i am prepared to do all the things that i prob wont get a chance to do for a long time after baby is born. So it's good to play one more time. Also went to catch a movie last fri. Fantastic 4... not too bad.... mm... wat else shld i do next....

Was thinking of wacking all the sinful food b4 my baby is born. How much weight can i gain in the remaining 2 weeks rite? Boy, was i wrong.... last visit to gynae show tt i can easily gained 2 kg in 2 weeks... Glurp!!! Too much liao.. i better slow down... hahhaaaa.....

Nesting Instinct

Having a conf call early this morn... decided to update my blog :)

I just realized that i have yet to announce that i have decided on the date on the c-sec. It's going to be...... 070707!!!! Well, hubby and i have such a hard time deciding. Cos' the stubbornness in me really want it to be 070707 while fabian is more concerned abt my well-being since my gynae will be away..... nevertheless, since mummy really really want it..... so.... but then i was teasing him to say that mayb our baby is very cheeky, she may decide to turn last minute... and all the big boo-ha abt choosing a date, it will be natural after all. I am having another checkup tomorrow. Will keep u guys posted!! haahahaa..... :)

Was reading something interesting the other day in a prep book. I never mentioned in my blog but last weekend, Fabian and i have a "trash out". Basically i nagged at him too much while he found me too controlling. After the trash out, we were fine and all. But then after that, i read that what i am experiencing is known as "Nesting instinct". When the baby is arriving, most mums-to-b tends to get a bit "kan-cheong" and control freak. You will have the urge that everything in the home must be neat and tidy and perfect for the bundle of joy approval. So you can imagine wat Fabian has been going through with my nagging on him to get all the things cleared and kept away...he simply cannot understand what is happening to me.. :P Anyway, i showed him the book and was truly happy that i actually can find a name to what i am feeling. So the prenatal books are useful after all.... haahahaaa....

K, rushing to work now.. will update soon.....

Busy Weekend...

This is really irritating... my blog setup become in chinese... gross!!! Very irritated. Been trying ways to change it but still back to square 1.... Eeek!!!!!

Anyway, this weekend been really busy.... thus no time to update the blog.

Sat's morn started with a brunch with my community center (CC) frens. We know each other when we are all mugging our O-levels in Ang Mo Kio Community Center's reading room. So , effectively, we have know each other for abt 16 yrs.... oops... has revealed our age. Hahaaa.... The gals met up and everyone is busy catching up one another. One is pregnant with her 2nd child. She's really my idol. She's a high-flyer in Deutche Bank, recently just bought a S$2 mil landed house with a swimming pool in the middle of the place. And still have time for her kids. Impressive, rite?? One unfortunately, just miscarried her second child last week. It was an unplanned pregnancy and foetus has no heartbeat. Another one jus happily announced to us that she has placed a deposit on a EC with her boyfren... now busy to find a date to be ROM .. so all of us are in similar and yet different stages of life. It's good to catch up. As i said in my previous blog, we are having more and more acquaintance and fewer and fewer frens....

That nite, i had dinner with my father-in-law at a pizza place at Killney's road. Not too bad.... and many frens has asked me to do something that i prob wont get a chance to do when baby is born. So, i asked my sister-in-law to sing karaoka with me!!! We went to K-box in Toa Payoh and had a great time with me, hubby and her. Sung to our hearts' content..... hahahaaaa

Sunday is another busy day. Elken came over in the morn and after which we went to Bel's place for pot-luck. For those who have been reading my blog, Bel is one of my good frens who is leaving to join hubby in Shanghai in early Jul. She wanted to see my baby b4 she leaves but if Athena decided not to be early, she prob will miss her since she and her kids will leave on 6 Jul. She has bought some new clothes for baby too... looks like my gal has alot, and i mean alot of clothes liao.... going to be a Ah-hiao jus like the mummy.. hahahaaaa

Evening is Ariel's (my niece) 4 yr old birthday!! We had a celebration at Kallang's McDonald's. But i guess it's more for the kids since they have games organised for them. Adults only get to order Happy Meals... hahahaaaa......

So as i said... it has been a long and busy weekend. And i prob will be packing my remaining 2 weekends with activities too.......

07-07-07 ????

Really headache.... since we decided to schedule for a c-sec, there are talks that we prob shld consult some fengshui master abt selecting a good date. However, when we called Uncle Toh, the fengshui master that we used before, we sort of got "scolded" by him. He felt that jus let the gynae decide and after baby is born, we can choose a good name for her instead based on DOB and time. But then, i went to an online fengshui website to check "astrological weight at birth" based on DOB and range of birth-time, you can sort of have an idea wat kind of fate ur life will be.....

So for 07/07/07, only 2 good timings between midnite and early morning. One is from 3am and the other is from 7am. Problem is my gynae is travelling tt weekend so not exactly sure whether he can make it for the 7am time slot. And definitely not able to make it for the rest of the day and nite timeslot..... :( And for 3am, is it too much to ask the gyane to do tt for you? He was quite nice when i called him to enquire. He mentioned that if i really, really wants tt timing, he can accommodate me but of cos' there will be several surcharges involve from his fees to the hospital fees too..... plus the fact that he wont be around to monitor my recovery after the operation.

So sort of decided if i cannot have 070707... i will choose a much earlier date of 020707..... so that he will be around for my full recovery.

But when i thot through the nite, i feel that i really, badly wants the 070707 date. Shld i jus go ahead and schedule the 3am surgery with surcharge or jus make do with 020707??? Fabian is really upset with me for being so wishy-washy but i really want leh..... how??? Called my gynae this morn to enquire abt the surcharge. Havent get back to me yet.... we shall see... :(

Btw, I am so happy with Fabian last nite. He finally made the baby's cabinet..... hurray, hurray :) I can get the maid to wash the baby's clothes and start up all my preparation work... happy, happy !!! :)

Big Head......

For those who are mothers... one look at this ultra-sound, you will know that my baby has (as expected by my gynae) not turn!!! On ur left is part of the head facing down with the back of the spine showing on the right.. Sigh.... wat to do, guess it's fate. Was joking with my gynae that i want to choose 07.07.07 to perform the c-sec. But as he will be travelling that weekend, he jovially teased me that he can perform the c-sec at 00:07.... hahhaaa...in the end, we told him that we will consult some fengshui master and chose a good date for the birth.. :) Nevertheless, my gynae will still monitor my baby's movement till my next visit in 2 weeks' time but he told me, 90% chance i will need c-sec. Oh yeah, something very funny or shld i be worried? Gynae commented that my baby's head is a bit BIG!!!! Oh dear, how, big head for a gal??? Fabian say, "like me"..... and he also commented that Big head = Big brain.... hahaahaaa...

Dun think it's true though... hopefully not too big lah.... worried not pretty leh....



Met my ex-colleagues from Chartered for dinner last nite. It's great catching up with them. Anyway, all of them enjoy my prenatal teacher's analogy abt breastfeeding... so i decided to share this in my blog..... Mrs Wong said, everyone (papa, mama and baby) have a role to play in breast-feeding. Baby plays the role of a worker. Cos' she needs to work for her milk.... then, fathers play the role of CEO... sounds great rite? Dun really have to do "real" work but just have to motivate mothers and workers to make sure everyone is happy.... and in case u havent guess it, mothers are middle-management!!! The one who do the real work, make sure workers are happy and the whole corporation operate smoothly..... Poor me... all the hard work and we are only middle-management... doing all the shit work while CEO get all the credit. What a bad deal!!! :( Oh yeah, these few days, my feet have been swollen like pigs' trotters...looks really funny. My tiny toes on the swollen feet. Got a picture for you ;)

Did i mention that my maid is here? She came yesterday. Fabian and i are quite apprehensive as we are not use to having a stranger at home. Also, everyone asked me to be strict with her. I even have difficulty asking her to do things liao.. how to be a strict disciplinarian? Anyway we also quite daring... we left her alone at home last nite while i went out to meet my frens for dinner while Fabian went his dad's place to resolve some PC issue.... but so far, she's pretty alright. Hopefully, she will stay like tt.....



But with the maid here, Fabian and i began to have some conflicts. And it's all abt clearing the storeroom downstairs for the maid. Was hoping tt Fabian will do so this weekend so that the maid will have her own room and she wont need to sleep in the living room.... but he complained that i demand his weekend time too much... and he dun have time to do his own things. This really pissed me off as he volunteered to clear the storeroom since a very long while ago. Yet havent get it done yet. Also, i need him to do up the ikea's cabinet which we bought for baby's clothes. As mentioned, i have many hand-me-downs from frens and family. But till now, we havent plan to wash these clothes yet cos' the cabinet is not ready. Even if baby's clothes are washed, we dun have a storage space for them. There are so many things to do b4 the baby comes (which can be as early as in 3 weeks' time since i am almost 35 weeks now) ... the cot's bedding and bedsheets still not wash too ... :( I also feel very emotional abt it cos' i feel that if he is so particular abt having his own weekend time now, would he complain when baby comes and again, his weekends will be burnt? Am i the only one expected to sacrifice my time? Anyway, i was so upset with him that i packed the storeroom all by myself with the help of the maid of cos' this afternoon. So angry with him. If i can do it, i will also dismantled the shelves and do up the cabinet!! Huh!! And not a word of thanks from him, except an irritated look tt things are not done in his way!! i hate it when he keep delaying the tasks and when other pp do it for him, he will complain it is not up to his std! @#$%^ So frustrating!! Errrr!!!! :(

Maids' Woes

For some of you, you may know that initially i chose an Indo maid. But not sure why but the paperwork by Indo government has been taking quite a while tho i book the maid 1.5 mths ago. Only this week, they start to process for her passport. :( got a bit worried, so called my agent to enquire as well as thinking of having alternative arrangements.

A bit panicking now cos' if the Indo maid only comes in 2-3 weeks' time, i may be on the verge of delivering and wont have time to train her. So luckily my agent have a Filo one readily available. Her prospective employer decided to take their own relative's one instead of training a new maid. I decided to give it a try and the agent brought her to my place last nite. Asked my mum to come over too... so tt she can give her nod of approval.

The maid is 27 yrs old but already got 4 kids liao. Quite small-sized and dark. Pleasant-looking and ok lah. Since my mum got no objection and fabian also ok, we decided to book her on the spot. Before i know it, she's coming tomorrow and her room is not ready yet!!! No choice lah, she need to pack her own room lor. We are giving her the room downstairs so tt Fabian and i still have our privacy at nite.

Never have a maid b4. So dun really know how to handle her or give instructions.... a bit stress leh. Sigh... wat to do, one of the essential thing to have when the new baby come. See how it goes tomorrow.....

Weekend activities...

It has been a busy weekend with BBQ with ex-colleagues and brought my mum to see a prospective maid on Sunday.

BBQ was great! Turns out that i am the only one still left in BOBJ. Everyone has left for greener pasture and it has been great to catch up with one another. Another gal just found out that she's pregnant so have a fun time sharing experiences and complaining. Hahaaha looks like there are alot of "piglets" this yr :) For the first time, we dont have much food left over except for crabs. Heard BBQ crabs are really good but cos' i am pregnant, so dun dare to take cos of old wives' tales....

Sunday morning we brought my mum to marketing and also take care of our godson, elken. My gosh, he is really cute and adorable. Fabian loves him and for his sake, he went to find the song of "Bob the builder" so that he can understand what his godson is singing abt. After which, we brought both elken, my mum and Ryan (my the other nephew) to the maid agency to have a look at a Myanmar maid.

Some pp who knows my story will ask me wat happen to my Indo maid.. sigh... it's a long story. I've chosen my Indo maid 1.5 mths ago. But her passport for some reason cannot be process by the Indo custom offices. We suspected it has something to do with the fact tt the Indo maid's salaries will be increased to $350 after 1st Jul...so since my agency has one Myanmar maid readily available, she asked me whether i want to take a look so i decided "y not"...

When we went there, we saw the maid. Gosh, she so small-sized. I am ok but i can tell my mum is not so keen. She keep saying, the maid is so dark-skinned and unsmiling. Though she told me she's ok and left the decision to me, i can tell she dun really like. And my pt is since she's the one who has to interact the most with my maid, it is of utmost importance that she likes the maid. Else i foresee i will have more problems when the baby arrives. I am sure those who have maids before will agree with me. So i told my agent that i will give the Indo maid another week. If her passport is processed by this week, i will wait for her. If not, i will take this one... Sigh.... having a baby in Singapore is more complicated than just getting pregnant and giving birth :P

Shopping Trip

Wah, yesterday was really a shopping day for me. Took leave to go shopping and have a break. But cos' i've a project doing UAT testing so was trying to rush most work in the morning so that i can go shopping in peace. Pretty stressful and i think baby can feel it. She's been kicking me in the morning as i tried to complete as much work as possible in the morning and the day before. Cant help it cos' i think i tend to be a a teenie weenie workaholic.....

Today, i shall take things easy... read my emails in the morning... still comtemplating whether i want to continue my testing later... mayb watch my "Heros" drama serial tt ... and got a BBQ to go to later.. yum, yum....

It has been a challenge to bring 2 kids and a baby to Orchard. My younger sis, Val brought Angelica in a stroller while my mum brought Kyla and Ariel to my place and we all meet at the Hougang MRT. After alighting DG' s mrt, we need to keep looking for lift to transfer to the NS line so as to alight at Sommerset MRT station cos Val cant handle a stroller on escalator. The gals initially were really excited but after a while, Kyla kept complaining "why so far?" , "i'm so tired", "why so long?" ..... wow, really need patience with kids. Wonder how Christine (my elder sister and Kyla's mum) does it...... it takes a superhuman strength to keep my cool and not to be irritated by all the whinning and complainings.....

Decided to take the opportunity to buy one or 2 nursing bras. Not sure whether i will have milk but i really want to do it. Partly for the baby (of cos!) but mainly so that i can loss the weight heehee...did i mention that finally i understand why women can still gain substantial weight even though they eat per normal (pre-pregnancy)? It's cos Nature expect women to breastfeed after birth and in order to produce High-milk (one phase in breast-feeding) which is high in fat content, your body will naturally try to accumulate the fats in a mum-to-be body so that when the time comes, the milk will be from these fats (hopefully!). This really even motivate me to do it...

K, back to nursing bras.... i asked the staff and apparently only Triumph and a ulu brand has it in JL. Couldnt find the ulu brand, so went to Triumph...wah.. they are so ex!!!! It's those auntie/grandmother kind cotton bras (with no padding at all!!!!) and no wire-support which i have some concerns cos i worried my breasts will sag after breastfeeding :P.... and they cost $32.90 each and they are supposedly on sale... Yucks! Then i went to look for the ulu brand. Found it and it is so much cheaper.... the normal ones only cost $9.90 while those with wiring only $14.90. So i got one each... btw, not cos' i am really cheapo but rather i'm worried that after buying so many or so ex-ones, turns out i cant breast-feed (touch-wood!)....

After that, we went for lunch at Prima-deli. As the kids have Kumon class later, they would need to go back. Looking at the crowd and weather, some of us decided to take a cab back while my mum went AMK to meet up with her frens. Since the shopping trip is so short, i felt dissatisfied. It would have been a waste of my leave!!! so since Val also not keen to go back so early, we decided to proceed to compass pt after dropping Christine and gals off. We walked around and visited Kiddy palace... saw some really nice nursing bras (with padding and normal looking bras) and tried them on. Gus wat, i can wear a size D-cup.... haahahaaa.. hurray, hurray!! Doing the dance of joy!!!! i am really proud of myself now.... hahaaaa... i know, cheap thrill... but for a flat-chest gal like me, this is really a miracle.... haahaaa..... so bought another one nursing bra at $36 each. Then we went to see shoes and i decided to buy a white one. Yes, i know i shldnt since my feets are getting swollen but Val commented tt the shoes i wore yesterday looked really worn out and being a hip and stylish mummy, how can i be seen with ugly and old shoes.... got to buy rite???

K, i will be working from home next week cos' of office major renovation this weekend. Hopefully i will update this blog more often then. :)

H&H Week

Whew, it has been a Hectic and Hot week.....Was in training for the whole week and with some of my weekly conf calls starting at 730am and starting my daily work till after 530pm... i am practically in office for almost 12 hours for some of the days. :( Recently weather has been really HOT. Plus my preggy condition (being in my final trimester and all), i am practically in my skimpy tops everyday. And still sweating like a pig ....oink, oink.......

Looking forward for the coming week tho, with a PH on Thurs and me taking leave on Fri, it will be a super long weekend for me ;) Not planning to do anything special but prob going shopping with my mum and younger sister. Not sure whether i can shop long. Recently have been feeling breathless after short walks and has also been start walking like a penguin. Cant help it, with the weight growing on ur belly everyday, your legs will involuntarily open as you walk. Haaahaaa... and to think i used to laugh at those preggy women :P

One interesting happening this week was one of my frens, Celia giving birth on Wed. Went to visit her after work. Wow, she's so cool.... her dilution was so fast tt epidural wasnt given to her. In a short 4-hours' labour, her boy, Justin is born naturally. How cool is tt?!?! All natural! I asked her wat's her secret. She thinks it's all the walking she has been doing even at her last trimester as well as all the prep talks she has been giving to her boy since 35 weeks. This, i must try!

Btw, this weekend, i finally managed to clear the spare room aka future baby's room with the help of my sister's maid. I also managed to clear part of the storeroom. Finally!! Luckily or unluckily, i am in a "throwing" mood today. Cleared alot of my old stuff..... and just simply made a decision to throw them away. Old bags, old books and old notes are not spared. Fabian's been hovering behind me uneasily while i cleared. He worried tt i start clearing his stuff. To b frank, i think i am a "Thrower Queen" while he is a "Keeper King". So sometime conflicts will arise when i feel so frustrated with the junk tt he insisted on keeping. I always feel like some parts of the house looks like a karang-guni's rooms with 3 unused computer monitors, some key boards and tonnes of different coloured wires!! And the worse thing is he dun allowed me to touch his things cos he worried tt i accidentally throw his "important" stuff away or misplaced his stuff. So his things have been piling up and tho he keeps saying he will pack one day, i wonder when will tt day come. Moreover, he is one guy tt cant take any nagging... this has always been source of conflicts between us. :( mm.... y cant he like normal guy to be only indulged in computer games and soccer and not hardware itself :P

K, enuf complaints from the wife. I am sure if Fabian is reading this, he will counteract with another blog on me ..... Stay tuned!! :)

3 more kg and possibility of C-sec ... :(

Today is my monthly gynae checkup. Went with some apprehension cos' i have been quite worried abt my weight gain for the past one month. And guess wat, even with me controlling on my diet, i have easily gained another 3 kg!!!!! #$%^&& now i have officially past the 70-kg mark. At this time, i remembered wat Serena warned me a few months ago when i complained abt my weight gain. "Wait till you pass your 70-kg mark, i think that's even more depressing!" and indeed it is depressing ..... :(

Asked my gynae why i am gaining so much weight even i have not binged, he calmly told me that during pregnancy, hormones will result in ur body retaining more fats and proteins automatically. So even if you eat normally (like wat you used to b4 pregnancy), you will still gain quite substantial weight. Me getting a bit worried, my prenatal teacher told us that Asian women shld only gain 10 -13 kg...... and me without trying very hard, i have already reached the max and there are 2 more months to go... how?!? Despite feeling down abt this, i still went Boon Thiong Kee for chicken rice during dinner... yummy.... hahahaaaa...... no wonder Men dun get it! ... haahaaa....

Another depressing news today is that my princess havent turned to be engaged yet. My gynae is a bit concerned. And he mentioned that if she dun turn in 2 weeks' time (my next visit), we prob have to schedule for a c-section. After hearing this, i was quite upset. Cos' i was all prepared for a natural birth (with the help of epidural, of cos). I even went for my yoga class and practise 10min of yoga every morning including the Kegel exercises diligently. And was really excited abt having contractions and waterbag break (signs of labour) in unexpected moments. Christine (my sister) asked me whether want to consider Malay massage cos some masseurs claim that they are able to move breech-position babies. But after hearing an experience from my colleague, i decided not. She had a Cesarean birth for her gal. Reason being baby not engaged too. And luckily she did cos' when the gynae opened up, they found the umbilical cord around the baby's neck. If she has insisted on natural, her baby may have been strangled!!... so i figured, "Let's nature takes it course" If she doesnt want to be engaged, just be it......if she eventually move down, it will be her wish.... me praying hard that all is well....

Here's a picture of today's scan. I have to warn you guys... it's not clear at all and it's showing only a foot, an ankle and a calve.... naughty, naughty baby!!!

Blue Monday.....

Interestingly, i always kena those inconsiderately people on Mondays when i have to carry my big, heavy laptop bag to work. In most days, since i am now obviously very pregnant in my 7th++ month, most of the mornings, i do get kind people offering seats to me. But whenever, i am carrying my heavy laptop bag, everyone seems to be either ignoring me (by not meeting my eyes), sleeping (or pretend to sleep) or reading their papers. So as usual, i have to stand all the way from Hougang MRT to DG.... *sigh*....

And to be frank, i am starting to feel disgusted by our young generation of Singapore. We've been talking abt first class society but our next generation is nothing but first class. Most often than not, i see well-articulated teenagers (sometimes still in their school uniforms) sitting and happpily chatting away, ignoring pregnant ladies like me or old elderly people wobbling away and standing in MRT. *Sigh*..... feel really sad tt our first-class education system has produced such inconsiderant next generation.

It's times like this that i wonder abt upbringing again. How do parents ensure that their kids will grow up NOT to be like tt? How do we ensure that our kids will have good moral values and be successful in life at the same time? Will there be a trade-off? Or are these supposed to complement each other?? I wonder.......

Happy Mothers' Day

Before i go ra-ra over the greatness of mothers, let me talk abt yesterday's prenatal class.

We were not given any warning as we sat down to watch our weekly video in class. It's abt birthing. And you would have thot tt they censored the details (such covering the women's breasts and private parts)... but NO......it's all shown in full glory details in the show. Was really shocked but meanwhile fascinated at the wonders of nature's creation. Women's cervices can simply opened and stretched to accommodate the birth of a baby.... Whooo..... though initially it caused some discomfort in me, i finally felt comfortable enuf to watch the whole process without cringing in embarrassment or disgust. Wat an experience!! After watching that, Fabian also ra-ra abt how i can do so without epidural. Wat rubbish!! He is not the one with contractions :P

However, with that image still fresh in mind, and today's is Mothers' Day, i really admire all mothers that i know. To see what they have gone through and wat i abt to go through, i really have another level of respect for them.

My mum decided to make steamboat at home tonite. Tho we've been asking her to go out for a meal instead, she insists of doing it at home. Prob cos' she wants to ask grandma to join us. My grandma has many children, 4 sons and 3 daughters (including my mum). But after my grandpa passed away a few years ago, she has been ignored by her sons. "Over wat??, one may asked. Wat else but $$. And the irony thing is there wasnt much $$ to talk abt in the first place. My grandpa only has a provision shop and a 4th room HDB flat. And already, the family are not on good terms over the distribution of tt . *Sigh*.... ugly nature of man! My sisters and i always adamant on how come the fate of my 2 grandmas (the other being my dad's mother) is so different. My dad's mum has always been well-taken care of by all her children especially her first son (my dad) and second son (my uncle). Our conclusion is prob upbringing. That brings us to the next question. How do parents give good upbringing to their children? To be frank, as we were very poor when we were young, both my parents need to work with my dad holding a day job and driving taxi at nite. Life was hard.....so we were left pretty alone by ourselves last time. Dont remember any upbringing leh....so is it our nature? or is it nurture? This has been the topic tt we, siblings have been talking abt for the a while. And till now, we still have no conclusion......

k, time to go my mum's place now. Christine has called and the kids are already there.... better go and help out.... last but not least.... HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY to all!!!!!

Here's a picture of the rascals.....

Busy week.... a busier weekend

This week has been crazy... thot things would have slowed down especially my boss is not around. Was even contemplating whether to take leave but things just piled up... :( Everyone told me to stay happy and stress-free else the baby will come out frowning but it's hard when everyone is chasing me for something. K, deep-breath......*Sigh*.......

Today is going to be a crazy. Have a wedding dinner tonite. Luckily for me, my fren Serena has lent me a dinner dress for tonite. Actually she passed me another black one the other day. It's more fitting and sexy. But Fabian thot it looked a bit tight on me. Yah, if i want to be more critical, i can see the flabby arms and bulging hips. K, the bigger one it is then. Planning to go hair salon and wash plus blow-dry my hair. Then do my manicure and pedicure. Who say preggy women cannot be Ah hiao... hahaahaaaa......talking abt wedding dinners, just wondering, if it's the same couple whom you invite to your wedding 3 yrs ago, do you give the same amount of angbao $$ they gave u previously or you increase to take care of GST hike and inflation? After talking to another couple-fren, we decided to increase... but jus wondering....

We are probably going after our prenatal class which will be finished by 7pm .... today fabian is attending his first prenatal class with me.... i wonder how he will take it. I'll update this blog then. Next weekend is my monthly gynae checkup again. Hopefully there's a good scan for me to put our baby picture here... :) Stay tuned.......

............

Cant think of any suitable title for this... it's prob a mixture of everything.....

Hubby ask me, "How come blog never update?"... i told him, too busy liao...not exactly sure with wat though... hahaaaa...

Let's talk abt my prenatal class. Attended the first class 2 weeks ago. Felt really out-of-place cos' every preggy women came with their hubbies. I am the only one alone :( wat do do, hubby is still suffering from chicken pox ...but being alone has it's privileges. I was the 'Live' model for my teacher whom by the way is really GOOD!!! I'm sure alot of mothers have heard abt her. Her name is Wong Boi Boi (i think). She's really experienced and her class is lively and fun. Or yah, though the class is suppposed to be 2 hours, she will always over-shoot the time to prob a full half an hour... and u really dun feel it...

In the class, u will be able to see different preggy women at different stages. But one thing for sure, preggy women are getting slimmer... i felt really fat compared to those mothers. Btw, the XL pants which i bought from Spring Maternity felt tight when i wore to work today.. big ass and thunder thighs!!!! OK, deep breath in........... i'm fine now....

Met up with my JC frens last Sat for lunch. Good time to catch up but i think it's harder to foster closer relationship in a big group (abt 6 gals) as well as all of us are in different stages of life. All but one is married... but that one is happily (i think) attached to an Irish guy. 2 are married with no plans for kids. 2 are with one kid each and planning for Junior no 2... while me, being a first time Mum......actually wanted to learn more abt them (as in with their jobs and family) but time is always so short and we will be too busy catching up with the rest than to dive deeper. Sad ..... mayb i shld make an effort to have smaller group gatherings (prob with one or two) to foster closer relationship?? I guess i have reached a stage where i dun really make many new good frens, so i shld treasure existing frenship more... k, set! I am determined to make an effort!!!! Wish me luck!!

Weight Gain Woes.....

Well, alot of people say should enjoy pregnancy as this is the only time that you can gain weight legitimately. To be frank, my mood swings (likely from raging hormones) are dependent on how much weight i've gained... :(

Before getting pregnant, i have always been vain and very, and i mean, very weight-conscious. Once you get pregnant, your appetite really improved and not sure whether i am lucky or unlucky, i belonged to the Blessed 10% that have NO trace of morning sickness. Many pp lose weight during the first trimester, but i was happily gaining weight..... 3kg to be exact. And wat annoys me is that i have NOT been eating for 2, i dun take snacks or tea-breaks, i dun binge on food and yet i have gained so much weight!!!! My good fren cum colleague, Alicia has always been encouraging me to "whack for 2" and especially on all the sinful food that normally i wont eat (to maintain my weight) eg nasi lemak, KFC, laska and chicken rice.......and i always "ren" and eat normal meals like mixed vegetables and fish soup..... but still, i have ballooned.... Life is really not FAIR!!

Met my ex-colleagues last nite whom i have not met for last 6 mths.... and they all exclaimed at my big face and feet.... told them, the 10kg has to go somewhere rite? 5 kg on the butt and thighs, 2kg on the baby and placenta and 3 kg on myself, all around.... sigh.... how, another 3 mths to go and my gynae has told me that my weight will grow exponentially in these 3 mths.... before i know it, i will hit at least 15kg in total weight gain on my full term..... Agrrrr....... they also commented on my freckles which were never obvious b4 pregnancy.....yes, i know, raging hormones will cause pigmentation to be more obvious... sian......

Told Fabian liao.... he better set aside $$ ready for me to go slimming programmes, Malay massage and IPL.... to be frank, women really sacrifice alot to have a kid... yes, i know, all is worth it (mayb?!?) .... but, but...... i better stop complaining else i will receive some hate mail/comments on this blog soon....

Need to ask Ms Wong in my next prenatal lesson. She's really good!! She recommended that Asian women to gain only between 10-13kg in total weight gain. But i am already at 10kg... so can i diet or cut down my intake of food now? Sigh........ :(

Hubby's Chicken pox Update

Finally, hubby is feeling much better... past few days have been a nightmare. The pox are popping up everywhere especially on his face.... his face is so red and swollen that i also feel uncomfortable for him.


Not sure why but the first doc that we visited on Tues nite didnt give him any anti-biotics or injection to lessen the impact of the outbreak. Mayb it's his age or too much toxic in his body but he is really unwell. The pox are coming out fast and fierce, it really itched badly at nite and caused him not able to sleep. His fever is not coming down and i am getting worried. Been asking him to see another doc for a second opinion but he's too shy to leave the house.


While he is miserable at home, i am too busy running around pharmacies to look for anti-itch medicine or anything that can ease his itch and discomfort for him. Luckily, yesterday, he finally went to see another doctor.... even though, the doc thot it might be too late for the jab, he went ahead and give it to Fabian. Not sure whether he was really on the road for recovery or the jab really worked, he is finally feeling better and the spots are slowly drying up. But my parents have been a great help. Knowing he is alone at home, my mum will cook lunch for him and brewed those water-chestnut drinks (too cool down his system) and get my dad to bring them over everyday. Really, really appreciate them and this also re-confirmed what a BIG PLUS point to stay near parents!


Heehee... when i see him feeling better, i finally dare to take a picture of him. FYI, he is really a difficult patient with his grouchiness and short-temper. :P


Cant wait for him to recover. Hey, i am the preggy here!!! I shld be getting all the TLC .... hahaaa... i have been of lower priority recently with this chicken pox outbreak. Not FAIR! :)





He and his "Poxy" face.... hahahaaa

My Hubby Got Chicken Pox!!!

Oh dear, at all times, my hubby (creater of this blog) has chicken pox! Can you imagine tt? At his age?!? He has fever since last Fri. We tot it's just common flu.

My niece, Kyla was diagnosed with chicken pox 2 weeks ago... but fabian cannot remember whether he has had it b4..... now Ariel and Elken (Kyla's siblings) are having it including their mum, my sister.... so i guess this virus is here to stay. Hopefully it will stop at Fabian ....

Everyone is very concerned abt me and asked me to stay away from hubby..... but, but.... i am very reluctant. I feel really bad that he is staying alone at home with no TLC... plus the fact, my home has no food... (well, no healthy food at least). I mean marriage is "For better or worse" rite? PLUS, i've confirmed with my gynae that i have the chicken pox anti-bodies in me.. so this shouldnt affect baby or me... :) Moreover, i am already exposed to the virus for so long and from so many different sources, i dun think it will make a difference if i stay away now...... :P

Heehee.. btw, his face is bad....... i will try to post a picture tomorrow... (the meanie me, in me )

Brought two of the kids out to Toys-R-us and to the maid agency...

Last weekend, we brought Kayla and Ryan with us when we went to do the documention for the maid. Thereafter we were supposed to bring the two little people to Toys-R-Us for some toys. We owe Ryan a birthday present so we decided to let him pick his own present.

ps..in our family, if you buy one toy, you probably have to buy for ALL OF THEM!!! hehe!

......

The two little people having some fun at the maid agency to kill some boredom!

Its pretty hard work playing the whole day and walking around Toys-R-Us for their toys...ZZzzzzz

Eagerly waiting for our little precious to arrive!!

Well, guess my wife's pestering has finally paid off! Yes dear, I have FINALLY created a blog for our baby so that you can post pictures! hehehe!

According to our doctor, our little girl is due around mid-july 2007. I actually can't wait to get my hands on her! Ha! Ha!




Our little girl likes to kick mummy just around the bladder area, so my poor wife always feels like she needs to go to the toilet!



In the meantime, I have lots of fun with my little nephews and nieces ESPECIALLY my godson Elkan!














We recently brought him to attend a birthday party and he had a fun time playing with the other kids and the balloons!









Here's Elkan with his two older sisters, Ariel and Kayla.